And the Crimson Rain Fell
by May Never Know
Summary: On two different planes, two different people see an early morning thunderstorm with dark red clouds. Red clouds bring red rain. Red rain makes the world red. Nothing can grow in a world of red. Something is wrong, and only a few kids can make it right.
1. Chapter 1: Crossed Paths

And the Crimson Rain Fell

A/N: A story that takes place in the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, but with a completely different adventure/plot. It takes place just three months after the end of the series and revolves around a few minor characters. You do not actually have to watch through the whole series to understand what is going on.

None of the characters, except for a few OCs, belong to me. They belong to the writers and creators of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime/manga.

Enjoy!

...

Rebecca wondered, absent-mindedly, what the idiot population of the world was. It couldn't have been that high, right? With all the geniuses running around on television, there couldn't be _too_ many stupid people, right? Or maybe the morons just didn't get too much airtime.

"I _said_ that I'm going back home to the United States." She told the kid she'd gotten into a conversation with without even realizing it. He'd been badgering her for the past hour or so about her flight destination. And he couldn't seem to take a hint, even after the hint had been given repeatedly, and without even sounding all that "hint"-ish.

"And _I'm_ telling you," The other boy – who, Rebecca learned, was named Eli – sighed impatiently. He was an American as well, who was apparently visiting a friend. He couldn't be much more than ten years old. "This plane goes to Yamagata, _Japan_. Did you think I haven't been speaking seriously all this time?"

"_What_?" Now, Rebecca started to finally believe what she was hearing. The certainty in her own voice, after all, could not out-match how sure of himself Eli just sounded. "But…But, then where's my grandpa?" She'd thought that they'd just gotten separated on the plane, somehow. But, now, after this development...

"How should I know?" replied Eli with a shrug before he got up from his seat and left – probably to find a quieter location on the plane. Rebecca let out a ragged groan, sinking down in her seat, before standing up and running down the aisle until she met a flight attendant.

"Umm…Sir, where are we landing?" Rebecca asked.

The flight attendant blinked at her strange question.

"Yamagata, Miss." He leaned down to her eye level. _Oh, boy,_ Rebecca thought. He was about to treat her like a child. "Did you accidentally take the wrong flight, Young Lady? Where are your-"

"Do you know where my grandpa is? He was with me before I got on the plane, but I think we got separated."

"Which flight did you think you were taking?"

"One that lands in the U.S." Rebecca answered, looking down at her feet as her face turned a bit pink. How humiliating.

"Then, he's probably on his way there right now." The flight attendant sighed. "Do you want me to call your parents?"

"No use. I'll just call my grandpa myself, thanks." Rebecca muttered before walking back to her seat and opening up her cell-phone before dialing a number.

"Hey, Grandpa? Yes, I'm okay." She smiled weakly. "I know, I know. I figured it out. The flight I'm on is heading to Yamagata, Japan. How long is your flight going to take?" She paused to wait for an answer. "Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I know, I know. I need to be more careful and observant of where I'm going. Okay, Grandpa. I think I can wait…I don't know, Grandpa." Tears suddenly started to form in her eyes. What was she going to do? "I don't know. I don't know where I'll be staying! Okay, Grandpa. I should hang up now so that I don't run out of battery power. I don't have much left. I think I'll be okay. Don't worry. I love you, Grandpa. Bye." And, with that, she hung up. She still hadn't noticed that other passengers were staring at the odd scene that she'd been making. Rebecca never really cared what strangers thought.

Deciding to make the best of the situation, Rebecca took out a play that she liked to re-read sometimes – Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ – and opened it up. It would have to last her a while.

Before Rebecca could even get through the first couple Acts of her reading, she'd fallen asleep in her seat. A sudden and violent jerking of the plane snapped her out of her slumber, however. Though she didn't know it at the time, it was early morning.

...

"Mmmmmph…" Rebecca shook her head to retrieve her senses before examining her surroundings. She was still on the plane, of course, but something was different. It was very quiet in the passenger section that she was sitting in. Everyone else appeared to be asleep. Suddenly, a crash of thunder jolted Rebecca's consciousness and she instinctively stared out the tiny window next to her seat. "What the-?"

Outside, far away, lightning cracked and illuminated the night sky. However, the lightning wasn't what shocked the young archaeologist. It was the color of the clouds that were lit up. Red – a deep, dark, maroon.

"Weird, huh?"

Hearing this voice, Rebecca whirled around in time to see a boy standing in the aisle. He had blond hair and was smiling. He appeared to be watching both her and the storm outside.

"Oh. You, again." It was Eli. "How come the lights have been turned off?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't know." He answered simply before continuing to stare outside.

Rebecca nodded at him in mutual confusion before turning back to gaze at the clouds.

"It's kind've pretty, you know? I've never seen such interesting clouds." She mused mildly, not overly concerned, even as a bit of turbulence rocked the plane.

"Red clouds bring red rain." Eli spoke softly, with a peaceful tone. "Red rain dyes the world red. Nothing can live in a world of red."

Surprised by that comment, Rebecca turned to where she expected to see the boy.

"What do you mean by that?"

Eli continued to smile.

"Blood is always red. Red is not always blood. Why is that?"

Rebecca blinked and gave him a sideways look.

"Because…Red is just a color. There are things that aren't blood, but are red."

"Like what?"

"Like flowers."

"And spiders."

"And butterflies."

"And mirrors."

"Mirrors?"

"Red mirrors. Red mirrors are red."

"I've never seen anything like that."

"You haven't seen very much at all."

Frustrated, Rebecca turned back to the window to watch the show in the clouds.

"I bet I've seen more than _you_ have." She countered indignantly. Hearing no response, she turned around to face the boy.

But Eli had vanished.

...

When Rebecca next woke up, the plane was finally landing in Yamagata. No one else seemed to be talking about the storm that Rebecca had seen. If anyone was, they weren't doing so loud enough for her to hear.

As the young girl left the plane, she felt as if she were in a dazed state. What was she supposed to do? It wasn't as if she'd never been without her grandfather in an unknown city before. After all, how did she meet Yuugi for the first time in Domino? It had been easy to sneak out under Arthur Hopkins' nose.

Rebecca opened up her cell phone to see if she could call her grandpa and ask for help, but she was out of luck: Her phone wasn't charged enough for her to use it.

"That is the _last_ time I forget to charge my phone before leaving…" She muttered irritably as she sat on a bench in the airport lobby. With a ragged sigh, she looked up from her cell phone and was surprised to see a familiar-looking boy sitting on another bench across from her. He was reaching into a purple backpack for a book of his own.

She stood up and walked over before sitting next to him. He didn't look up at her, or even acknowledge her existence, the way that a passenger on a bus would ignore it if someone else stood nearby. All he did was crack open his book and begin to read.

Getting a better look at the boy, Rebecca examined him out of the corner of her eye. His hair was a soft aquamarine – in a mushroom-cut style – and his thin eyes were a strong, deep blue. He wore thick, golden glasses with a beetle engraved between the two lenses and his features were sharp in some areas and rounded at others to give him an imp-like appearance.

Finally, Rebecca realized who this was.

"Why don't you take a picture?" He hissed pointedly, interrupting her thoughts without even turning to look at her. "It'll last longer."

And so it was confirmed. That childish, yet intelligent, voice heard in TV interviews for Duel Monsters was difficult to forget.

"Aren't you Insector Haga, the famous duelist?" Rebecca asked, deciding that Haga's rudeness was justified, considering the fact that she'd just been staring at him.

"Yeah, yeah. But, you might want to correct yourself – '_formerly_ famous duelist' would be more accurate. Want an autograph? It's not like I ask for a card in return anymore. So don't worry…" Haga mumbled dryly, a rather jaded look in his eyes before he finally turned to face her. Then, he blinked. "Wait a minute. You're-"

"Rebecca Hopkins: The American National Champion of Duel Monsters! Yeah." She gave a small smile. "I used to watch your duels all the time. You're pretty good."

"You're not so bad yourself, Miss Hopkins." He commented off-handedly with a shrug, thoughtfully tapping a finger on the book he was still holding.

An awkward pause ensued before Rebecca finally spoke again.

"So…Did you just arrive here, or are you leaving soon?"

"I just arrived. From Domino."

"Me, too. Is this where you live, or…?"

"I _live_ in Domino." Haga answered. "This was where I was born. I'm visiting my sisters."

"Oh. How come you left?" Rebecca asked, hoping to make some light conversation.

Haga shrugged.

"Duel Monsters." He answered casually. "Domino is the Duel Monsters capital of Japan. Which was why Kaiba chose it for his tournament. Anyway, how come you're here? You're from America, aren't you?"

"Er…Well…" Rebecca smiled weakly. "My grandpa and I were planning on flying back to the United States. He got on the right plane. I got turned around and ended up on the wrong one. And now I'm stuck here till Grandpa arrives to pick me up."

"Hehe. That sucks." Haga grinned.

"Oh, shut up." Rebecca pouted. "Anyway, can I borrow your cell phone? Mine ran out of battery power."

"Say 'please'." Haga deadpanned.

"Tch. Fine. May I borrow your cell phone _please_?"

"Tough luck." He reached into his pocket and showed her a crumpled piece of plastic. "I tripped on a curb, then fell on my face. The cell phone went flying. It landed in the road. A semi truck turned it into _this_."

"Sounds like karma." Rebecca smirked, remembering Yuugi mention something about Haga's habits of cheating in card games.

"Oh, shut up." Haga rolled his eyes. "So, what are you going to do, anyway? Cry?"

"No. I want to borrow your home phone." She stated simply, innocently.

"My _home_ phone?" He raised an eye brow, and then sighed raggedly. "Yeesh. You're going to make me take you to my house, aren't you?"

"What else am I supposed to do?"

"Got any spare change for a pay phone?"

"No. I left that with my grandpa."

"Which completely defeats the purpose of carrying spare change in the first place." Haga deadpanned coldly.

"Well, do _you_ have any spare change?" Rebecca scowled as she asked this.

"Erm…" The insect duelist twitched.

"Haha." She taunted, and then thought for a moment. "How about this, Haga? If you help me out, I'll give you a rare card."

"Sorry. Not really interested in anything you might have." He replied nonchalantly.

"Awwww…Hmph! If you don't help me, then wait till my grandpa comes to pick me up! I'm going to go to Domino and find Jounouchi and Honda. I'm sure they'd be more than happy enough to make your life miserable." It was an empty threat, but Rebecca hoped that it would work anyway.

"Doesn't matter. We're in Yamagata, Rebecca. If your friend's bodyguards so much as lift me up by the collar, my big sister won't hesitate to drop-kick them into next year." He stated with total confidence.

Rebecca pouted and muttered something like, "Not like I was really being serious, anyway…"

"I know." Haga replied simply, stuffing his book into his backpack and standing up. "Anyway, you're going to have to find help from someone else."

Rebecca giggled and caused Haga to stare at her.

"What?"

"Your backpack is purple." She grinned, standing up as well.

"So what?"

"That's girly."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is. GIRLY BACKPACK BOY!" Rebecca shouted, causing a few people to stare. Some of those who stared happened to recognize Haga. Noticing this, Rebecca grinned. "Yup, people! The Japanese National Duel Monsters Champion has a girly backpack! Girly backpack~! Girly backpaaaaack~!"

"Oh, crap, Rebecca, shut it!" He reached out as if willing her to be silent. "PLEASE! Stop that! Don't draw this kind of attention, please, Re-"

"Then, let me use your home phone." Rebecca smirked.

"Fine." Haga muttered, shaking his head. "Fine. Just shut it." He then turned to the rest of the people still staring at them. "Carry on! Nothing to see here!"

And, with that, Haga somewhat selfconsciously strapped his backpack on before turning to Rebecca.

"All right, Rebecca. My sister's going to be here to pick me up soon, but we've still got a while before then. I'm going to get a little something to eat. You want anything?"

Rebecca's eyes widened slightly.

"So, wait, you _do_ have money on you?"

"I said that I didn't have any spare _change_. What I _do_ have is a credit card." He replied, taking his wallet out of his pocket and removing a piece of plastic. Indeed, it was a Platinum credit card. "Airport food sucks, but we should be able to find _something_ to eat. Anything in particular you're interested in?"

Rebecca was about to ask why he was treating her to some food after she'd just embarrassed him in front of a bunch of random strangers, but instead just smiled slightly. Maybe he wanted to make the rest of their time together as bearable as possible, she decided.

"Why don't we get some pizza?"

After finishing off their pizza, Haga and Rebecca had quickly headed off to the parking lot to meet Haga's older sister.

...

After waiting for about five minutes, a dark green car pulled into the parking space right in front of the two kids. After parking, a woman, with aquamarine hair tied back in a bun and blue eyes just like Haga's, stepped out of the vehicle. She wore sleek glasses and a black pantsuit as well as black pumps, as if she'd just left work.

"Hey, Kiddo." She greeted Haga before nodding over at Rebecca. "Hey. Are you friends with my little brother? Or maybe just his accomplice?" She chuckled.

Before Rebecca could answer, Haga cut in,

"She's an acquaintance. She accidentally took the wrong plane and got separated from her grandpa. She needs to borrow our home phone."

"What happened to your cell phone?" Haga's sister asked casually.

"A semi truck flattened it." The insect duelist answered calmly.

"Oh. All right." The lady shrugged, as if this were a perfectly ordinary occurrence, before turning back to Rebecca. "So, Miss, what's your name?"

"I'm Rebecca Hopkins." She introduced herself proudly and cheerfully. "Nice to meet you. So, what's your name?"

"Ah. Confident and straight-forward." Haga's sister smiled before turning to look over at him. "She is _definitely_ your type, Little Brother."

"Ugh. _Sis_!" Haga complained, shaking his head in embarrassment while avoiding Rebecca's eyes.

"Anyway," The woman turned to face Rebecca with a faint smile. "My name is Insector Hotaru and, obviously, I am Haga's older sister. It's nice to meet you as well."

Wordlessly, Hotaru unlocked the car doors and the two kids sat in the back while Haga's older sister got behind the wheel. She drove out of the parking lot without incident.

The sun shone in the summer sky and a few wisps of clouds drifted about the sun like doves released from a box. The blue sky carried hopes of new beginnings and a soft breeze brushed across, and cleansed, the landscape below. Overall, it had been a beautiful day.

However, if one looked close enough, it was possible to see the faintest hints of pink at the edges of those clouds with no sunset to explain it.

...

On the way to Haga's house, a short conversation took place.

"Hey, Haga, you just arrived here by plane, right?" Rebecca asked pleasantly enough. The pizza had calmed them both down considerably after their little spat with each other.

Maybe, that spat's occurence in the first place at something to do with the fact that neither one of them had eaten any of the "gross airline food" on the way to Yamagata.

"Yes." Haga answered. "Though we probably took different planes. I never saw you."

"Yeah, I think so…" Rebecca nodded as she leaned her head against the window, but then she frowned. "Haga. Did you see that _weird_ storm?"

For a moment, the boy seemed to freeze. When he spoke, it sounded quiet and severely disturbed.

"…Did you meet Eli?"

Rebecca whipped around to face him so quickly that she nearly tweaked her neck. She nodded once.

The two spoke no more for the rest of the two-hour drive. The children were too trapped in their own thoughts to say anymore. It was silently agreed upon that they would discuss it later. Rebecca needed to think about all that had happened and Haga just wanted some silent time. Because they both knew, in their own ways, that something huge was happening.

Something was not right.

...

A/N: Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2: Clouds on the Horizon

And the Crimson Rain Fell – Part 2

A/N: First of all, I would like to reply to the pleasant, but anonymous, review that I received for the previous chapter:

_To must. review.: Thank you for the review! It's good to know that my writing lacks cliches. I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update, but I'm glad that you liked the first chapter. ^^ And I hope you enjoy this one!_

In any case, I hope that anyone reading enjoys this next chapter. Please review with critiques or compliments as you wish. :) I'll be happy with either one.

Disclaimers as usual: None of the characters belong to me, except for the few OC's that I have.

This chapter in particular is rated T for a certain character's, ah, language.

Enjoy!

...

"Well, Kids, I've got to set things up for dinner tonight." Hotaru announced, closing the door behind the two diminutive duelists Insector Haga and Rebecca Hopkins. They stood in the foyer of a great, five-story mansion. "So, Haga, show Rebecca our phone. And be sweet about it, if you can, Little Brother – she's our guest now. I won't have you scaring her off!"

The walls were lined with green wallpaper with what appeared to be gold leaf trim. A grand, four-tier chandelier of ornate gold and silver hung above the small group below. It quickly became clear to Rebecca that the Insectors were in no state of destitution.

"Yes, _Ma'am_." Haga groaned sarcastically before turning to Rebecca and gesturing for her to follow as he turned and left the mansion foyer.

Rebecca took a few steps to follow him before turning and bowing quickly to Hotaru on the way.

"Thank you, Miss Insector!" She chirped, and then skipped off to continue following Haga. She couldn't wait to see more of this magnificent-looking mansion.

"Call me, 'Hotaru'!" She called after her warmly, with a soft chuckle.

"The phone is on the third floor. So, we'll have to take the staircase." Haga warned. "Two flights. Thirty stairs, to be exact. I hope you won't mind?"

"It's fine." Rebecca shrugged, just grateful that Haga and his family were even helping her at all. "Er…Wait. You actually counted the stairs?"

"No, but my sister did." Haga replied as they stopped at the foot of the stairs.

"Hotaru?"

"No, my twin sister. Her name's-"

He was interrupted suddenly, by a teenage girl flying down the stairs.

"BOMBS AWAY!" she shouted as she tackled Haga to the ground. "Hi, Big Brother! Is that your girlfriend? Wow! I can't believe you got one! I'm so fucking proud of you, Haga. You're finally growing up! So, what's her name?" The dark blue-haired girl giggled gleefully, all the words seeming to meld together as she rolled them out.

"Amber!" The insect duelist groaned. "What have I told you about doing stuff like that?"

"You told me not to, of course!" Amber laughed, standing up and poking her brother in the nose. "You big silly. Did you think I forgot, or something?"

"Um," Rebecca blinked for a moment. "Hi there, Amber. I'm Rebecca Hopkins. And I'm guessing you're…"

"The younger twin sister of Insector Haga! Yup! Nice to meet ya'. Are you and my brother getting married?"

"Umm…No, we're not even-" Rebecca tried to interrupt (while Haga fumed hopelessly), but Amber just kept going.

"Ooh! Ooh! I want to organize the ceremony! And I'll make the cake!"

"Amber!" Haga tried desperately to intervene as he stood up.

"I'm bad at baking, but you'll like it anyway." The crazed twin sister continued. "Because I'll make it with _love_! And sprinkles. And ice crean. Ice cream is good. You're both going to eat every bite of it! Or else I'll fill your shower taps with beef bouillon. Bwhaha!"

"AMBER! For the love of God, _shut up_!" This time, the voice came from Hotaru – who was apparently calling out from the kitchen (where she'd implied that she'd be). That kitchen had very good acoustics, Rebecca decided.

"Okaaaay!" Amber sang before turning to Haga. "Anyways, Brother, I just wanted to let you know – Ryuzaki's parents are getting the house fumigated. So, he's going to be staying here for a few days while his parents stay at some hotel some place. Have fun with your girlfriend!" And, with that, she frolicked away while muttering something about wanting some cake to eat.

For a moment, Rebecca and Haga just stared after her. Then, the archaeologist spoke.

"Is…she always like that?"

"Uh-uh." Haga shook his head. "Only when she thinks that I've 'finally got a girlfriend'. Otherwise, she's pretty calm."

"Oh. Does she often think that you've 'finally got a girlfriend'?"

"Once a month, on average. Ever since we both turned twelve. She's always been wrong. It's still hard to get used to, though."

"Understandable." Rebecca smiled weakly. "Anyway, shouldn't we get to that phone?"

"Of course."

Without further ado, the two kids began the trek to the third floor.

...

After giving her grandpa Haga's address (which he provided) so that she could be picked up, she tried to convince her concerned grandpa of her safe circumstances.

"I know, I know, Grandpa. But, I'm okay! Really. It's no problem. His family's nice…Aw. But, Grandpa, that shouldn't matter at all…No, he's not a complete stranger." Rebecca felt Haga standing a good meter behind her, listening in a bit. "…I saw him on TV! And Yuugi's told me about him before." She obviously hoped that this would be enough to free her grandpa from worry. "…Huh? But, I don't know anyone else here! What am I supposed to do? He doesn't seem like a bad guy, anyway. Bit of a jerk, but…Okay, Grandpa. I'll be careful. See you in…how long, again…? Oh, okay. See you in six hours! …Oh, you want to talk to him?" Haga froze. "All right, but keep in mind – Just because he's not nice, that doesn't mean he's not good! Bye!" With that, Rebecca shoved the phone in Haga's face. "He wants to-"

"I know." Haga took the phone and spoke into the receiver. "Good evening. Haga speaking…Because she asked me to…I don't know, she just seemed really helpless…My intentions? Um, I don't know. Helping the helpless…? No, Sir, I'm not joking…" He twitched. "Yes, Sir. That is my full name…Oh…God, um, I really don't know what to say. If that's what Mr. Moutou told you, then I doubt you'll believe anything I say…Oh. Well. As Miss Rebecca told you, I'm not a bad guy. I've done bad things, but I'm not a bad guy…You can trust me…I know, Sir…Yes, Sir, I promise." He hung up.

"What was _that_ all about?" Rebecca quirked a brow.

"Yuugi's gramps told your grandpa about me." Haga deadpanned. "And he didn't like what he heard."

"Let me guess: Exodia?"

"Yup."

"Darnit!"

"You knew about it?"

"Yeah. I didn't get it. Who'd get so angry about a bunch of pieces of paper? I mean, Yuugi's got lots of other cards from his grandpa…"

"Anyways, your grandpa says that I 'have permission' to help you. Mostly because it's too late for any objections, now." He sighed. "I just have to make sure nothing bad happens to you."

"Aw, he's so worried."

"Yeah. He is. Don't go getting on planes by yourself anymore, Rebecca."

"I know, I know…" Rebecca pouted. "I can't wait to become an adult!"

"Being an adult's not so easy, either." Haga smiled weakly. "Just ask Hotaru. Her life's no box of butterflies."

Rebecca giggled.

"You're funny, Haga." She sat down on a huge, cream white, armchair next to the shelf where the phone receiver was. "How come you only have one phone in your house, Haga? With a mansion so big…"

"Eh. Technically, we have two phones. One of them is in Amber's room, though. So, no one ever uses it."

"She doesn't like people going in her room?"

"Well," Haga chuckled. "She might as well put a sign on her door, 'Abandon hope, ye who enter here', because she nearly killed Ryuzaki the last time he tried popping in without knocking."

"_Dinosaur_ Ryuzaki?"

"Yup. He's friends with my sister."

"Huh. So, why only two phones?"

"Hotaru doesn't see the need for home phones, unless it's an emergency – She figures it's too easy for them to be bugged."

"…Bugged?" She blinked.

"Don't ask. My sisters both have issues." He laughed and sat down beside Rebecca in the armchair. It wasn't so much of an armchair as a small couch. Large enough to fit both of the short-statured kids with ease, but small enough to not quite qualify as a sofa. Haga's brow furrowed and his tone became stern. "So, anyway, you saw Eli on the plane. Right?"

Rebecca snapped to attention.

"Yeah! I've been thinking about-"

"Me, too. Rebecca, when did your flight leave from Domino?"

"At 8:00 PM. Why?"

"…And the airport you left from?"

"Domino City Airport."

"Damn. That doesn't make any sense."

"You took a different flight? Well, that explains why we didn't see each other…" But then Rebecca's eyes widened. "But, then why did we both see-?"

"I have no clue. That's what doesn't add up." Haga leaned back in the armchair and held a hand to his forehead as if to focus his thoughts.

"How can someone be in two places at once?" Rebecca sighed, shaking her head. It all made no sense. Unless… "Maybe, one of us…didn't actually see him?"

"And didn't _hear_ him, either? And, somehow, one of us hallucinated about the _exact_ same person the other person was seeing?" He knew she'd just been grasping at straws with that last one. After all, what other explanation was there? "Hmm…We _are_ talking about the same Eli, aren't we? Blond American kid? About ten years old? Visiting a friend?"

"Yeah, that kid." Rebecca sighed, trying to figure this out. "Thinking about it, I wouldn't be surprised if I'd just been hallucinating…"

"We've gone through this already, Rebecca. We can't-"

"I know, but it was just so weird! Looking back, it seemed like I was the only one who paid any attention to him." She frowned. "Even when the flight attendant went around, asking if people wanted food. He seemed to ignore Eli's existence completely. Everyone did, for that matter. I never noticed anyone looking at, or speaking to, him."

"Weird. I'm pretty sure I saw the same thing." Haga shook his head. "What did he say to you, anyway?"

"At first? Nothing really. Just kept arguing with me about where the plane was landing."

"The United States, or Yamagata?" Haga grinned teasingly, despite the situation.

"Yeah." Rebecca pouted, leaning back in the seat as well. "He was the first one to let me know I'd gotten on the wrong plane. Oh. And he told me about why he was going to Yamagata, a little bit about his friend, and his favorite kind of ice cream. But, anyway, he left after a while. And then I fell asleep. That night, I saw the freaky, red storm. And Eli said some really weird stuff."

"Did he mention anything about red mirrors?"

"A little."

"And red rain?"

"A lot."

"Oh, boy." Haga inhaled deeply. "This is the strangest thing. Ever."

"Got that right."

"What the hell do you think that red storm was?"

"…Red clouds bring red rain?"

"That's what Eli said to me, too." Haga mumbled, but Rebecca was close enough to catch it. "That kid gave me a really creepy feeling. Like there just wasn't something right about him. And now I'm starting to feel like I was right."

"I think something bad is going to happen."

"I think it's already happened. And it's going to happen again."

Before they could speculate further, however, Hotaru's voice rang from downstairs.

"Kids! Dinner's ready! You have fifteen seconds to get down here, or else I'll eat it all up~!"

After nearly having a heart attack at the sudden disruption, the two kids started laughing and running downstairs.

Despite all things said and done during the strange flight to Yamagata, the abrupt sound of Hotaru's voice was still enough to make them jump. Indeed, for those two children, it must have been a time of relative innocence.

If there is anything that life teaches us, it is that innocence is inevitably shattered.

...

"She is not my girlfriend!"

"That's not what _Amber_ said!" Ryuzaki snickered, taking a bite out of his food. He'd just arrived five minutes ago for dinner.

Haga re-directed his indignation.

"Amber, she is not my girlfriend!"

"Oh. Really?" Amber blinked. "Then, why didn't you just say that earlier? Jeez! It's like you _wanted_ me to think that she's your girlfriend, or something."

Haga just sighed and let his forehead fall to the table surface.

"Aw, come on, Guys. Let's all get along. After all, dinner looks great!" Rebecca smiled before taking a bite and nearly gagging. The vegetables tasted like chewed up cardboard dipped in black ink.

"How do you like it, Rebecca?" Hotaru smiled sweetly. "I'd say I really outdid myself with this!"

"Um, well, umm…" Rebecca saw Haga giving her a warning look from across the table. "It tastes great, Hotaru!"

"Well, then dig in! There's more than enough for seconds." She sounded perfectly delighted.

Rebecca looked horrified. But, Hotaru was just so nice. So…

Dinner continued on with people talking about how their respective days, weeks, and months had been going. Rebecca told her story about getting on the wrong plane. Amber talked about how she managed to cheat on a test by writing on the inside of her tank top lining (Haga was so proud). Ryuzaki discussed why his house was being fumigated – apparently, he had left food under his bed again (Haga was so disgusted).

Hotaru described her hazardous week of work. Apparently, she worked for Seto Kaiba himself. In her words, he was a "Goddamn slave-driver who expected nothing less than perfection in every aspect of his business". Which, according to Hotaru, made him both an effective boss and a crappy person to have to deal with on a bad day. Haga didn't say much about his day, except that he'd gotten his cell phone flattened by a truck. "It happens," according to him. He could buy a new cell phone. He shrugged and left it at that.

Which was for the best, really. It took all dinner participants great concentration and will power to stomach the so-called "food" on their plates. All but Hotaru, however.

She seemed practically immune to her own poison.

...

And Hotaru was the only one to have seconds of everything.

By the end of Dinner, Amber and Ryuzaki were drooling in front of a TV screen while playing extremely competitive racing videogames. Haga was reading a book off to in the corner of the room and Rebecca was washing her mouth out with some cherry coke from the fridge. Hotaru had retreated off to her room to (according to Haga) read internet articles as usual.

"Hahaha! You are _losing_, Ryuzaki!" Amber cackled as she mashed buttons on her videogame controller.

"NOOOOOO!"

Finally having enough of the racket, Haga snapped his book shut and proceeded to head upstairs. Seeing this, Rebecca walked after him while still holding her coke in her hand.

"Stop following me, Rebecca. I'm going to my study."

"You have a study?"

"Yes. It's where I go to be alone." He continued walking up the steps.

"Can I come?" She continued to follow.

"…It's where I go to be _alone_."

"Why would you want to be alone?"

"Because humans get annoying sometimes." They reached the second floor, but Haga continued upwards.

"Am _I_ annoying?" she sulked a bit.

"Don't take it personally. I find everyone annoying _sometimes_. Right now is one of those times." He hoped she would take the hint.

"So, wouldn't that mean that _you're_ annoying sometimes?" She asked as they reached the third floor and kept going.

Haga thought about it, and then shrugged.

"Well, I guess so."

"So, how would you feel if I just started leaving you alone because I thought you were being annoying?"

"I wouldn't care."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He replied off-handedly as the two kids passed the fourth floor.

Rebecca was starting to get exhausted, walking up all these stairs.

"Why not?" She asked with her voice straining slightly as she tried to fit breath in between words.

Haga paused, and then turned to look at her as they finally reached the fifth floor. A total of sixty steps had just been walked.

"Because I don't like you."

"What?" Rebecca stared.

"Not enough to care if you left me alone for being annoying, at least."

"But…" She shook her head. "You helped me."

"Because you harassed me." He stated bluntly. "And because I'm not heartless. You were getting desperate. That was why you asked someone for help, even though he was practically a complete stranger to you." He began walking through a hall.

"But, I like you!" She followed after him, once again. "I think you're funny."

"I'm a jerk." He snapped back, stopping in front of a green glass door and turning around to face her. "How the hell could you possibly like me?"

"Oh, you're not _so_ bad." Rebecca smiled. "I mean, you kind've were at first. But, you're smart and you've got a sense of humor – even if it is a bit twisted. You _do_ have your nice moments. And you always speak your mind."

"You're the first person who thinks that that's a good thing." Haga rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly.

"So, you see, I like you! Why don't you like me?" Rebecca pouted.

"Um," Haga twitched. "Because I just don't, okay?"

"That's not a good enough reason."

"Why the hell not?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"…Maybe."

"Why won't you answer any of my questions?"

"Because I don't feel like it!"

"Hmph. Meanie!" Rebecca stuck her tongue out at him.

"That! That's why I don't like you. You're too childish." Haga crossed his arms and nodded to himself.

"You sound like you just made that reason up on the spot!"

"No, I didn't."

"Well, you're childish, too!"

"…" For a moment, Haga just paused with his mouth open. Then, he continued, "Well…Maybe, but not as much as _you_ are."

"Well, what if I stopped being so childish?" Rebecca asked.

"Ah," Haga blinked at her. "Well, then there'd be no problem."

"So, you're saying that you'd like me?"

"…Maybe. A little."

"Okay! Then, I'll try to mature."

"Um, you can't. You're a kid."

"Huh?"

"Well, nobody can 'try' to mature. It just sort've happens." Haga sighed. "In other words, talk to me in three years if you want me to like you."

"But, I _can_ mature!"

"Yes, but not without time."

"No, I mean that I can _act_ more matured around you. Isn't that possible?" She asked, completely serious.

"Oh." Haga raised an eye brow. "You can try, I suppose. Might be amusing."

Rebecca sighed.

"You're so difficult to deal with sometimes."

"So are you."

"Yeah." Rebecca admitted.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"…Nothing. Anyway," Haga opened the door to what was apparently his study and held the door open for Rebecca. "After you?"

Pleased, Rebecca straightened her back, held her head high, and proudly strode into the study. Haga sighed and followed after. Normally, of course, he didn't like people seeing inside of his study. But, he would make an exception.

This girl was amusing. Her strange, stubborn determination to be around him had gotten him interested.

Maybe, she was just bored, he thought. But it was still interesting.

"So, this is your study, huh? It's nice." Rebecca spun around in the middle of a long walkway between shelves of books. As she looked around, she noticed that there were no windows and that the only light was coming from a small lamp sitting on top of an ebony piano in the back of the room. A cozy alcove could be seen off in a corner, with two dark green velvet-lined armchairs and a small, black table in between them. Indeed, the room's coloring scheme seemed to be green and black – with polished, green stone walls and black rugs scattered about. It had a relaxing atmosphere, if just the slightest bit unnerving. Rebecca didn't need to guess who designed it.

"I guess you really like it then, hm?" Haga chuckled.

She blinked and snapped out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You've been staring out into space for a few minutes."

"Oh, er, sorry."

"It's all right. To be honest, I'm actually pleased." Haga shrugged. "Even though I don't usually like letting people in here..."

"You did a good job decorating it."

"Is it that obvious?" Haga adjusted his glasses, which had gone askew at some point during the trip upstairs. "What's funny, though, is that the room I actually sleep in looks boring in comparison. It could pass for a guest bedroom, really. This sure can't."

"Haha, I guess you must spend a lot of time here, then! I don't blame you." She smiled before taking a few steps towards the back of the room, eyes falling on the instrument she'd noticed earlier. "You play the piano?"

"No, I just keep that old thing in here so that I can stare at it all the time." Haga replied sarcastically, with a smile and a roll of his eyes. "Of course, I can."

"Well, you didn't need to put it like that." Rebecca muttered before perking up a bit. "Would you play something for me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like playing the piano in front of people." Haga replied, diverting his eyes a little self-consciously.

"Aww…But, you've dueled on live TV before." Rebecca tilted her head to the side. "What's the difference?"

"There's a big difference. Of that, I assure you."

"Awwwww, I want to hear you play! I bet you're really good."

"No. I get…nervous when I play in front of people." He admitted uneasily. "Piano is an art! I'm more confident at strategy than at art."

"That's so cute, Haga!" Rebecca giggled, and then caught herself. Her jaw dropped at what she'd just said and done. She attempted to salvage her dignity. "Um, I mean, er…"

"…What the hell was that?" Haga twitched, but then shook his head. "Nevermind. I don't care. Anyway, let's do something else. What books do you like to read, anyway? I mostly prefer non-fiction, but I also like-"

Suddenly, a knock on the green glass door was heard.

With a sigh of relief, Haga began walking back to the entrance of his study while Rebecca followed after. When he opened the door, Haga was a little surprised to see Hotaru holding a piece of paper, on the other side.

"Hey, Kids, I was just wondering if you two might have heard anything about this." She handed Rebecca the paper and Haga read over her shoulder. "I printed this article off the internet and, since you both flew here from Domino, I thought you might be interested…"

_Domino: Disappeared in a Day_

_Due to unknown circumstances, the entire population of Domino City, Japan, vanished at roughly 4:00 AM this morning. Speculations circulate regarding the possible use of unknown nuclear weapons by other nations. This has been criticized as unlikely, however, because of Domino's low strategic importance. No government has yet waged war on Japan, but officials are standing by for further information._

_A few witnesses viewing the city from the sky (on various airlines) note that they had seen dark red clouds above Domino between 2:00 and 4:00 AM. If anyone knows any further information regarding this mysterious event, please call…_

And so the article continued, giving more redundant facts about the situation as well as what peoples' reactions were to the event.

"Woah," was the perfectly justified reaction of the two kids. Dark red clouds. Now, what would that remind them of?

"So? Heard anything about it?" Hotaru asked.

Rebecca looked up to speak, but Haga elbowed her softly in the side.

"Nope. Crazy, though." He quickly interrupted Rebecca. She understood. What had happened on the planes was something that couldn't be explained. And Hotaru seemed like the type to ask more and more questions when she was given answers. It would take up too much time.

"Hm. You sure?" Haga's sister looked at Rebecca.

She smiled weakly.

"We're sure. We would have heard about something crazy like this. Right, Haga?" She asked, joining in on the lie. Haga nodded supportively while Rebecca continued. "I sure do hope that everyone there is all right, though…"

"Yeah. Me, too." Hotaru sighed. "And what's worse for me is that Kaiba's main office building is in Domino." She had to drive there very early every morning to get to work. "I hope everything's okay. Guess I'll find out tomorrow."

"Yeah." Haga said simply.

"Well, anyway, how long now until your grandpa comes to pick you up, Rebecca?"

The girl took Haga's arm and rolled up his sleeve to check his watch, ignoring his objections.

"Hey, hey!"

"He'll be here in five hours now. So…around 11:00 PM." She looked up at Haga and smiled innocently, as if she hadn't just invaded his personal space. "Nice wristwatch, Haga. Real silver?"

"Obviously. My skin isn't turning green, after all. Now, please let go." He was getting testy. So, Rebecca obliged.

Hotaru just beamed.

"You two would make such a cute couple…"

"You have weird tastes in couples." Haga commented dryly.

"Anyway, maybe you should get some sleep, Rebecca. Won't you need it for the flight home?"

"Maybe, I will do that." Rebecca yawned with precise timing.

"Show her to one of the guest bedrooms, will you, Haga?"

"Very well." Haga gestured for Rebecca to follow as he closed the study door behind him and walked downstairs. Once they finished off one flight of stairs they reached the fourth floor and he showed her to a room.

After opening the door for her, he closed it behind them both and immediately jumped into conversation.

"What are we going to do?"

"Investigate, of course."

"You really sure? It might be dangerous."

"I don't care. I need to find out what happened to Yuugi and the others. They live in Domino!"

"Obviously. But, we're going to have to take a bus there. Frankly, Rebecca, you and I look like we're both twelve years old."

"Aw, I thought that my glasses would make me look more mature!"

"They make you look cute, not mature. Nice try." Haga stated, rushing the discussion. "Technically, you have to be at least sixteen to use the bus between cities. I've still got a few months before I reach that age. And you've still got three years."

"Two years. I just turned thirteen last month."

"_Whoop-de-doo_. Anyway, not only are we not of age. We definitely don't even _look_ it, either. But, you know who _is_ sixteen? Ryuzaki."

"Your friend?" Rebecca chimed in.

"No, my accomplice." He corrected. "But, whatever. He's even got a permit – that means some ID to speed things along – and I'm pretty sure he'd be interested in this, too."

"Good! So, let's go drag him along!"

"Now, you're getting it." Haga smirked.

...

"Put the videogames on pause, you two. We need to borrow Ryuzaki." Haga practically ordered the two kids in front of the TV.

"Gah. Why?" Amber whined, continuing to mash buttons on her controller.

"Because we're going to Domino and we need someone at least sixteen years old to take the bus. And Hotaru will never let us do something crazy like this." Haga answered flatly.

"So, we're going to sneak out!" Rebecca chirped. Haga made a 'shh' gesture and hoped that she'd get the point.

No response from the video game-hypnotized teenagers. With a slightly irritated sigh, Haga walked over to the Nintendo Game Cube that was being used and picked it up a split second before throwing it across the room as hard as he could. It cracked against the wall.

"HEY! What gives?" Amber snapped while Ryuzaki just stared dumbstruck into the black space on the TV screen.

"What gives is that we are going to Domino. Now. Because of this." Haga handed Amber the article that Hotaru had given them. Standing up, Amber skimmed it quickly and her mouth formed an 'O' while her eyes widened in shock.

"HOLY CRAP! What the-? Gaaah…" Amber nearly passed out, but steadied herself. "Whaaaaat?

"Yeah. I know. Get it now?" Haga quirked a brow. "We've got to go see what's going on."

"Mmhm. I'm totally on board now." Amber turned to her friend. "Ryuzaki! Domino's citizens all just disappeared."

"Eh?" Ryuzaki blinked, standing up. "Really?"

"That's what the article says." Rebecca sighed.

Haga nodded.

"Ryuzaki, you're sixteen and we plan on taking the city bus to Domino. So, we'll need you to accompany us. And bring your permit! Got it?"

"Uh-huh." Ryuzaki sighed. "Jeez, though. What the hell could have happened?"

Haga and Rebecca exchanged looks before turning back to the other two.

"We don't know. That's why we're going to find out." Rebecca answered.

"Well, let's go before Hotaru comes in to check on us." Amber muttered, putting on a denim jacket.

In agreement, the four kids quietly left the mansion and headed off to find the inter-city bus stop (which only Amber seemed to know the location of – she pointedly chose not to explain).

On the horizon, the sun was beginning to set, casting a soft golden glow on the kids' faces as they walked. Up above, the clouds held a soft magenta on the edges with a lighter pink near the cloud centers. They were very beautiful.

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight." Rebecca mumbled the old saying absent mindedly, with a small smile. It would be a lovely day tomorrow, she thought.

"What was that?" Haga asked.

"Oh, nothing." She grinned.

A lovely day, huh? Fate has always been a lover of irony.

...

A/N: Thank you for reading. :) Finally getting the plot moving!


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